Paper shredding apparatus



M- J. KLEIN EDDING APPARATUS April 24, 1951 I a w Q; ZW/ZW v LL W V/ w M W @N Q Q Y w Patented Apr. 24, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAPER SHREDDING APPAI ATUS Matthew J. Klein, Maywood, Ill.

Application April 19, 1950, Serial No. 156,892

3 Claims. (01. 164 -845) This invention relates to paper shredding apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for tearing sheets or strips of paper into narrow shreds for use as packing material.

Shredded paper has been widely used for packing material, for packing fragile articles such as glass, china ware, and the like. The shredded paper has usually been formed on machines including a series of spaced rotatable knives to out the :paper into strips or shreds. Such knives are relatively expensive and also require careful mounting and frequent sharpening to function satisfactorily. Furthermore, paper out cleanly to form shreds tends to pack and does not separate and fluff up readily.

In some cases it has been proposed to operate the machines with the knives spaced slightly to produce a tearing or chewing action on the paper. This leaves the shreds with rough edges so that they will separate and fluff up more readily. However, the construction is still expensive and still requires careful adjustment.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a paper shredding apparatus in which the paper is torn into strips or shreds with no cutting or chewing action. According to one feature of the invention, the paper is passed between circumferentially spaced ridges or parallel rollers and which have smoothly rounded outer edges so that there will be no cutting or chewing of the paper. Another object is to provide a paper shredding apparatus in which at least one of the rollers has its surface formed of rubber-like material to grip the paper and to insure proper feeding and tearing thereof. Still another obj ect is to provide a paper shredding apparatus in which the paper may be supplied from either a roll or fiat sheets, or both.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of paper shredding apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section through the paper tearing rollers;

Figure 3 is a partial axial section through the rollers; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 of an alternative construction.

I'he apparatus as shown in Figure l is mounted on a table or support indicated generally at [0, at a convenient distance above the floor. The apparatus includes a framework II extending upward from the table and having spaced side plates between which the tearing rollers may be mounted. At the forward end of the framework II angular slots ii! are provided slideably to receive bearing blocks I3 for supporting an upper roller. The bearing blocks may be adjusted by screws I4 toward and away from a lower roller supported on a shaft I5 rotatable on a fixed axis in the frame. The lower roller is driven through a belt I6 from amotor I7 and the rollers are geared together through gears I8 to rotate in opposite directions at the same speed.

The lower roller as shown at I9 in Figures 2 and 3 may be formed of metal such as steel and is grooved at its outer periphery to provide a series of circumferentially extending ridges 2i. According to the present invention the ridges terminate in relatively smooth rounded edges which require no sharpening.

The upper roller is formed with a metal body 22 which is covered by a sleeve 23 of rubber or rubber-like material such as synthetic rubber or a resilient plastic composition. The outer surface of the sleeve 23 is grooved to provide spaced circumferentially extending ridges 24, complementary to the ridges I9, and also terminating in smoothly rounded outer edges. The rollers are mounted as indicated in Figures 2 and 3, with the ridges 2| and 24 staggered relative to each other and overlapping radially, but spaced apart throughout the full length of the rollers. The spacing can be adjusted through the screws I4 to accommodate different thicknesses of paper as different numbers of sheets are used simultaneously, but in all cases the surfaces of the rollers are out of contact with each other.

Paper to be shredded may be supplied in sheet form to the rollers, and for this purpose a table 25 is provided to support these sheets. The table 25 terminates at its forward edge adjacent to the line of overlapping between the rollers, and a guard plate 26 may be provided to insure that the paper will be fed between rollers. The shredded paper is collected in a suitable receptacle 21 at the forward end of the apparatus, and the rollers preferably have their axis 1ying in a plane at an acute angle to the vertical to direct the shredded paper into the receptacle.

Alternatively, or in addition to the use of paper in sheet form, paper to be shredded may be supplied to the rollers from a roll 28. The roll 28 is preferably supported on upward extensions 29 of the frame, havin notches 3| therein to receive the ends of the roll supporting shaft. If desired, a pivoted arm 32 may rest frictionally against the roll to prevent the paper from becoming loose on the roll during operation.

With the rollers turning when one or more sheets of paper are fed into them, the paper will be engaged between smoothly rounded edges of the ridges 2i and 24, and will be pulled between the rolls while being torn into strips of a width substantially equal to the spacing between the ridges. :sleeve 23 frictionally grips the paper duringthis operation so that it will be fed properly between the rolls, and also that the paper cannot slide laterally over the ridges and merely be corrugated or folded without tearing. With this construc: 'tion it has been found that either single sheets The rubber-like surface provided by the edges and will not pack as easily as cleanly cut strips. quired and the rollers are capable of extremely Furthermore, no sharpening is ever reextended period of use.

Instead of forming onejof the rollers of metal as above described, both rollers may be provided with rubber-like surfaces. A construction of this sort is shown in Figure 4 wherein the lower roller has a metal body 33 covered with a rubber-like sleeve 34, grooved to provide ridges as above described. The upper roller is similarly formed with a metalbody 35 covered with a rubber-like sleeve 36. This construction functions in the same manner as that of Figures 1 to 3, except that both rollers provide a good frictional engagement with the paper to prevent slipping thereof.

While two embodiments of the invention have I been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that these are'illustrative only and are not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Paper shredding apparatus comprising a pair of rollers mounted for rotation on parallel axes,

means to drive the rollers in opposite directions, the rollers being formed with series of circumferential projections terminatin in smooth rounded outer edges and bein mounted with the projections in spaced overlapping relation, the surface of at least one of the rollers being formed of rubber-like material.

2. Paper shredding apparatus comprising a pair of rollers mounted for rotation on parallel axes, means to drive the rollers in opposite directions, the rollers being formed with series of circumferential projections terminating in smooth rounded outer edges and being mounted with the projections in spaced overlapping relation, one of the rollers having a smooth metallic surface and the other havin a surface formed of rubberlike material.

3. Paper shredding apparatus comprising a pair of rollers mounted for rotation on parallel axes, means to drive the rollers in opposite directitons, the rollers being formed with series of circumferential projections terminating in smooth rounded outer edges and being mounted with the projections in spaced overlapping relation, both of'said rollers having surfaces formed of rubber-like material. V MATTHEW J. KLEIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

